Stop toe for roller skates



Oct. 18, 1949. v, ow s 2,485,147

STOP TOE FOR ROLLER SKATES Filed April.30, 1947 INVENTOR GEORGE v.FOWLKES H l S ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 18, 1949 UNITED STATES FATENTOFFICE 2,485,147 STOP TOE F OR ROLLER SKATES George V. Fowlkes, Tulsa,Okla. 7 Application April 30, 1947, Serial No. 744,965

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to stop toes or toe brakes for roller skates.

The stop toes used heretofore have not been well designed to fit in withthe conformation of the shoe skates or so arranged that they can beremoved readily for repair or to permit the skates to be used withoutthe stop toes. Moreover, the brake element has not been arranged so thatit I wears uniformly or so that the greatest advantage is derived fromthe brake element.

An object of the present invention is to provide a stop toe in which thereceiver for the stop device is attached permanently to the shoe skateand can be used either with or without the brak-,

ing member, as desired.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a stop toe whichis attractive in appearance and which can be applied to or removed fromthe skate with a minimum of difficulty.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stop toe in which thebraking material thereon can be readily removed or replaced and in whichthe braking material is disposed in the best position to attain thedesired braking or stopping action.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of a typical form of stop toe embodying thepresent invention.

My new stop toes include a receiver plate which is adapted to beattached permanently to the toe portion of a shoe skate or other type ofroller skate. This receiver is adapted to receive detachably asupporting member having an inclined surface thereon, to which thebraking material, such as for example, a block of rubber, is attached,this block being inclined with respect to the sole of the shoe or theunder surface of the skate so that it can be brought into contact withthe floor or other surface on which the skate is being used.

More particularly, the receiver and the holder for the braking materialare provided with a complemental groove and rib or flange forpositioning the holder on the receiver. A releasable locking member isincluded to hold the members in assembled relationship.

The above-described construction has the advantages of permitting theuse of the skates either with or without the braking member and offacili-- tating the application of the braking member to 2 1 or removalof it from the skate, as the conditions demand. The entire structure maybe formed of light-weight material so that the balance of the skate isnot appreciably altered and the appearance of the skate, with or withoutthe stop toe, is not unattractive.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may behad to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is a view in side elevation of a typical form of stop toeembodying the present invention applied to a portion of a roller skateshown in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a front view of the stop toe;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the under surface of the holder plate of thedevice;

Figure 4 is a view in cross-section taken on line i4 of Figure 3 Figure5 is a view in front elevation of the toe stop holder to which thebraking material is applied; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of the stop toe holder removed from theholder-receiving plate.

The toe stop embodying the invention includes a receiver member or plateI!) which has, preferably, a straight rear edge H and a rounded orcurved front edge i2 which conforms substantially to the shape of thetoe of the skate. As shown in Figure 1, the plate at is secured by meansof the screws [3, in front of and above the front rollers I4 of theskate.

The receiver plate In is provided with a downwardly opening, centrallylocated groove I5 which tapers in width from the forward end toward therear edge I! of the plate it and may be provided with a flared rearwardportion l6, if desired, although such a flared portion is not necessary.The side walls I? and i8 defining the groove l 5 are undercut ordovetailed, as shown in Figure 4.

The groove l5 receives a rib or flange it) on the bottom of the stop toeholder 25!. The rib or flange I9 is shaped substantially complemental tothe groove l5 so that the rib I9 may be inserted into the groove l5. Therib I9 is provided with inclined lateral edges 2| and 22 which are alsoundercut or flared to fit tightly against the walls I! and [8 of thegroove l5.

The rib 19 carries a plate portion 23 which. is generally semi-circularin shape and somewhat narrower and shorter than the plate [0. The plateportion 23 is inclined at an angle to the plane of the flange I9 so thatit is inclined to the horizontal when the skate rests on all fourrollers. The inclination of the plate may be varied considerably, but anangle of 27 has been found suitable for most skates. The plate portion23 is suitably connected, preferably integrally with the flange I9, bymeans of the ribs 24, 25, 26 and 21 which extend outwardly from theflange IS.

The lower surface of the plate portion 23, as viewed in Figure 1, may beroughened or provided with small spikes, not shown, which engage in ablock 280i braking material which is secured to the late portion 23 bymeans of suitable screws 29, 30, etc. The braking material may be rubberor other similar resilient material which will grip the skating surfacein order to bring. the skate to a stop when the skate is tiltedforwardly about the front rollers M. The thicknessof the block 28 issuch that its lower surface lies in :a plane. substantially tangentialto the rollers. In this Way, when the skate is rocked forwardly, thelower surface of the braking block 28 will come flatly into engagementwith the skating surface.

The holder may be retained on the receiving plate H] by means of alocking device which prevents relative movement between them when theyare assembled. A suitable locking device may consist of a cylindricalbolt member 3| which is slidably mounted in the bores .32 and 33 in theflange |9-and the plate 23. The bolt 3| can be projected into an alignedopening .34 in the receiver I!) to prevent relative movement of thereceiver H] and the holder 20; When the bolt is retracted, the holdercan readily be separated from the receiver I0. The bolt may bemanipulated by means of a pin 35 extending. radially therefrom. The boltis retained in its projected position by means of a short pin 36, whichprojects out of the web and engages behind the pin when the bolt. 3! isprojected. The under surface of the plate portion 23 may be .providedwith a small notch 31 in which the pin 35 is received when the bolt 3|is fully retracted. Unless the pin 35 is. engaged in, the notch, thebolt 3! cannot beretracted sufficiently to permit separation of theholder 23 from the receiver W, thereby avoiding accidental disengagementof these two members.

The receiver i3 and the holder 23- may be formed of any suitable kind ofmaterial, but preferably they are formed of light-weight material, suchas for example, aluminum, aluminum alloys, magnesium or magnesiumalloys, in order to provide the necessary strength without excessiveweight.

From the preceding description, it will beapparent that I have provideda stop toe which may .be applied easily to a shoe skate or removedtherefrom with a minimum of difficulty and which provides a mosteffective braking, action under all conditions of use. Moreover, thebrake block 28 is so located thatit wears uniformly over its entirelower surface, thereby reducing the frequency with which it must bereplaced. Also much better control of the braking action can be obtainedwith my stop toe for the reason that a firm braking surface ofsubstantially uniform area is provided throughout the entire life of thebrake block.

It will be understood, of course, thatethe size and proportions of thestop toe can be modified as desired, in order to conform to skates ofdifferent sizes and design. Therefore, the form of the inventiondescribed herein should be considered as illustrative and not aslimiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A stop toe for roller skates comprising a plate to be secured to theunder surface of a skate at the toe thereof, means forming a groove inthe lower surface of said plate, said groove being dove-tailed incross-section, a member having a rib complemental to and fitting in saidgroove, a surface on said member inclined at an acute angle to said ribto converge toward the toe of said skate, bolt means on said memberengageable with said "plate for releasably retaining said rib againstendwise movement in 'said groove, and a block of braking material fixedtosaid inclined surface.

2. A stop toe for a roller skate comprising a plate conforming to theshape of and adapted to besecured to the under surface of the toeportion of a roller skate, means forming a groove in zthe: under surfaceof said plate, said groove being dove-tailed in cross-section anddecreasinginwidthrearwardly from. the toe end of said plate, a memberhaving a rib thereon substantially complemetal to the shape of. saidgroove and fitting therein, .a lock for retaining said. rib againstendwise movement in said groove, a surface on the opposite side of saidmember fromsaid rib, said surface being inclined with respect to saidrib to converge toward the toe of said skate, and a block ofbrakingmaterial fixed to said inclined surface.

3. A stop toe fora roller skate comprising a holder plate having arounded front end conforming. to the-shape of the toe of a skate and arear end, a groove in one surface of said plate, said groove havingundercut walls converging from the front end toward the rear end of saidplate, a. member having a. rib on one side complemental to and,interfitting with said groove and a plate portion on its other sideconverging toward said rib, said plate portion having a rounded front.disposed adjacent to said rib, ablock of. braking material secured toand substantially conforming, to the shape of said plate p.or.tion,.andreleasable locking means .for retaining said rib against endwisemovement in said groove.

4-.A stop .toe for roller skates comprising a. plate to be secured tothe under surface of a skate at the toe thereof, means forming a groovein the .lower surface of said plate, said groove being, dove-tailed incross-section, a member having .a rib complemental to and fitting insaid.

groove, av surface onv said. member inclined at an acute angle to saidrib to converge toward the toe of. said skate, apertures in said. plateand said, rib. adapted to be aligned when said rib is in .said groove, alocking bolt. slidably mounted in the aperture in. said rib, aprojection onsaid bolt for moving it into the aperture in said .plate tolock. said plate and member together, and a. block of braking materialof substantially uniform thickness fixed to .said inclined surface.

.5. A stop toe. for a roller skate comprising a holder plate having a.rounded front end conforming to the shape of the toe of a skate andazrear end, a groove. in onesurface of said plate, said groove havingundercut Walls converging from. the front end toward the rear end ofsaid platana member having .a rib on one side com-,

locking bolt slidably mounted in the aperture in v said rib, aprojection on said bolt for moving it into the aperture in said plate tolock said plate and member together, and a block of braking materialsecured to and substantially conforming to the shape of said plateportion.

6. A toe stop for roller skates comprising a plate to be secured to theunder surface of a skate at the toe thereof, means forming a firstdovetail portion on the lower surface of said plate, a member having acomplemental dovetail portion fitting said first dovetail portion, asurface on said member inclined at an acute angle to said complementaldovetail portion to converge toward the toe of said skate, bolt means onsaid member engageable with said plate for releasably retaining saidcomplemental dovetail portion against endwise movement with respect tosaid first dovetail portion, and a block of braking material fixed tosaid inclined surface.

GEORGE V. FOWLKES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 333,583 Yarger Jan. 5, 1886661,986 Heizer Nov. 20, 1900 2,356,736 Blaes Aug. 29, 1944

